Method of making flat rib welt shoes



y 1958 R. E. PEARSALL ETAL I 2,832,975

METHOD OF MAKING FLAT RIB WELT SHOES Filed Dec. 6, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lllll .IIIIIII I h -[nvent0n5' Ralph E. Pearsall I I L' r' n eA.S'euer I s awe I y 20 x} .B I v ......IIIIIII y 1953 R. E. PEARSALL ETAL 2,832,975

METHOD OF MAKING FLAT RIB WELT SHOES Filed Dec. 6, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 In v e ntors Ralph 5.. Peansa'lf LCZLUIGITZCeA- SGUETH v B? tieirfirney May 6,- 1958 R. E. PEARSALL ETAL METHOD OF MAKING FLAT RIB WELT SHOES s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 6, 1955 fiweizfors RaZp/z E. FeorsaZ/ Lawrence f1. Save/y 3 2 /26" AZ 0 neg United States Patent" 2,83%9'75 7 METHOD on MAKiNo-FLATnm WELT SHOES Ralph E. Pearsall," Gloucester, and Lawren'ce A; Severy,-

Ro'ckportfMass' assign'orsto United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey This inventiorirelat'es' totlie manufacture ofwelt shoes, and rndre parti'cula-r'ly 'of welt shoes of the fiat'las'ted type;

In the construction" of the standard Goodyear welt shoe the upperg' with the'eitceptibn of the heel endportion which is lasted and secured directlyto-the'heel seat portion of the insole, is lasted to an upstanding rib-either formed by cementing together the upturned lips of the channels cut inthe insole, or provided by a ribbed strip attached to the insole; The toe portion of the upper, including' the' lining and the boX to'e, is wiped inwardly over the last and against the insole rib by toe embracing wipers and secured in lasted position bytemporary binder wire anchored with upstanding tacks at opposite side'sof the toe""end of'the shoe. The sides of-th'e upper are tens'ibn'ed over the margin" of the insole and secured in lasted position by staples driven through the' upper'materials and' the' irisole rib and-clinched on'the inner face of bi' After theflasting, a' welt 'is sewed to the upper -the i1isole'f'rib} this'operation-being' known as the inseaminge This isfollowed by theunseam trimming, which consists of 'tfimftiing'off th'e surpl'us materials of thehiis'ole rib; the upper niaterials aud 'the' welt' close to the rew of staples b'y'whic'h' the upper is secured to the rib 'attl:le" sides of the'shoe. B'ottotn filler is then applied, and the usual bottoming operations are-performed td complete thebonstit uetion of the shoe.

While-this method-has long been acknowledged to be the most suitable for-the construction of'high-quality shoes, it is admittedly expensive, by reason of the many operations involved' It 'is therfore 'one object ofthe present invention to provide 'a-method of'manufacturi'ng weltshoes havin all the desirable characteristicsof the Goodyear welt'shoe, togeth'er' 'wi'th the advantages of lightness'and flexibility, bht which maybe manufactured at suhs'tantiaily less cost.

In" its broadmethod aspect the invention comprises providing anin'sole having a' flat lasting rib or lip, lasting tH to'eend of an upper to-this rib and securingit in lastled 'pbsitibn', preferably 'by'means of cement, lasting the heel end to the heel seat portion of the 'ins'ole, then lasting the sides ofthe'upper to the flat rib and, simultaneouslywith that operation, attaching a welt around the periphery of the shoe, from theheel breast line atone sideftdthe'heel'breast line at the opposite side, by a single row of staples inserted in a-plane substantially normaltt') th'- insole, the staples passing through the welt, the-upper, andthe insole rib and being clinched to the inne'ifaceof the rib, and thereafter bonding the lasting rib, together with the la'stedmargin of the upper and the welt, to the insole body, the shoe being finished in the u'sua'l manner.

Itwill be appreciated that by lasting the upper to an insole rib tha't is fiat from the beginning and which remains substantially flat throughout the lasting and weltingoperations, the upper and welt, at. the end of these operations; are secured in practicallyth epositions which they will occupy in the finished shoe, wi h little or no 2,832,975 Patented May 6, 1958 P ce additionahstrain imposed onthe upper in securing it in'its laste'dpositiononthe insole.

Flat lasting has been recognized as desirable in the making of shoes becauseofthe'greater degree offlexibility possessedby'shoes thus made and also because it permits the use of prefitted uppers, which represent substantial savings inupper materials. However, heretofore flat lasting has been restricted mainly to the manufacture of non-welt or imitation welt shoes with cement-attached soles. Where flat lasting ispractioed in the manufacture of welt shoes; the upper is first lasted and secured to the insole by' faste'ning means, such as staples, and vthe welt thereafter secured tothe-' overlast'ed upper "and. the insole by separate fastening means, such as stitches or staples. Usually, the staples are'driven through the welt, the upper,-and the insole and clinched on the inner sur-' face of the insole or, in some instances, driven partway through the insole and clinched within the thickness of the insole. Where the-fastenings are driven through the insole, itisnecessary-rouse a last having ametal plate on its bottom for the clinchin of the staple legs, and a sock lining is required to cover the fastenings and protect' the'wearers foota' Also, Where the welt is secured to the upperand insoleby stitching, itis necessary to remove the'last from: the shoe and to relast' the shoe for the later operations. According to other metho'dspractieed heretofore, the upper islasted to an upstanding rib provided on the insol'eand, after attachment of awelt to the lasted upper and'rib, the -rib; together with'fthe upper and welt', are turned or b'ent 'inwardiy to bring them into parallel relation to 'thesu'rfaceof theinsoleandsecured to theinsole either bycement ciiothermeans; This methodvis undesirablebecause in the operation of b'ending'thematerials into a fiat position the upper, which 'has' already been subjected'totall the "strains-it: is: capable of withstandingin the lasting operation, is subjected torfurther stretching strains whiclr'cam resultin impairing the securement of the upper'a'nd rib' to theinsolc orweakeningthe inseam, with: resulting grinning at tl'ie crease between the upper and: the welt.

The method 'according =tothe'preseut' invention offers the shoe manufacturer the possibility-of making welt shoes at substantial savingslin manufacturing cost by I I I combining into a single operation the separate operations of side lasting and inseaming an'd by eliminating the insearn'trirnming operation.- The method provided by the invention atfords'further 'sav-ings in cost of production by making it possible to use inexpensive insole stock, no channeling being necessary, and 'by' eliminating the need of a sock lininguin'the'dnterior of theshoe, since no fastenings penetra'tethe insole;-

The'invention 'will now be-more fully described, with reference to the-"accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the:appended'clairns.=

In the drawings:

Fig. 1is-a perspectiveview of one form-of insole to which an upper may. be lastedin the practice of the method according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified insole provided with a bevel along its margin; 7

Fig. 3 'is a perspective view-of a shoe made in accordance with the'method of the presen't invention;

Fig. 4 is asection'al viewof the forepart of the shoe illustrated in Fig: 3 with anoutsole' attached thereto;

Fig. 5 is a-perspective view of'a modified form of the. insole shownin Fig; 1, the illustrated insole being provided with a'ditferenttype'of lasting-rib;

'Fig; 6 is a perspective 'view' of another modification, this view showing alaminated insole-from: which errand has been cutto provide a lasting: rib;

- 3 Fig. 7 is a similar viewof still another modification of the insole illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the head of a staple side lasting and welt attaching machine which may be used in the practice of the method according to the invention;

Fig. 9 is a detail plan view, partly in section, showing the principal lasting and stapling instrumentalities of the machine; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X of Fig. 9. v

In constructing a welt shoe in accordance with the method provided by the present invention an upper is assembled and pulled over a flat rib or lip, such as the rib 22 shown in Fig. l, and temporarily secured by tacks to an insole 24 mounted on a last 26. The term upper is used herein generically to designate allupper materials,-

such as a lining, box toe, and other components. The

' rib 22 of the insole24 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a composite rib comprising an outer strip 32 of felted fibrous material coated on its inner face with cement, preferably pressure-responsive cement, and an inner strip 34 of a material such as canvas, wider than the strip 32 and coated on both sides with a similar cement, the strip 34 being folded upon itself lengthwise and the strip 32 adhering to the upper fold of the strip 34, the lower fold of which. is bonded to the margin of the insole 24 which is coated with cement, as shown at 36. As may be seen in Fig. 1, the outer strip 32 extends somewhat beyond the upper fold of the fabric strip 34 inwardly of the insole, in order that the composite rib 22 may adhere lightly to the bodyportion of the insole. This is advantageous in that it prevents the cement sprayed in preparation for the toe lasting operation fromilowing under the rib, and also helps maintain the .rib fiat against the insole so that it will notinterfere with the operation of the grippers of the side lasting machine, while permitting the anvil of the stapling mechanism of the machine to get under the rib during the stapling operation, as will appear hereinafter.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the margin of the insole 24 may be beveled or skived to a feather edge, as shown at 38 (Fig. 2), in orderto' insure greater flexibility of the insole due to the thin feather edge, and to insure at the same time that the over-lasted margin of the upper and the welt will lie in a lower plane relatively to the insole surface, thus reducing the inseam bulk and the amount of bottom filler required.

In place of the rib 22 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the insole may be provided with a rib such as that illustrated in Fig. 5. This rib consists of an upper strip 40 of a material similar to that of the strip 32, and a lower strip 42 of a material such as canvas, the two strips being first secured together along their outer edges by stitching 44 and attached to the insole by cement only.

Other types of insoles which may be used in practicing the method according tothe invention are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The insole shown in Fig. 6 is a laminated insole comprising an upper or outer layer 48 and a lower or inner layer 50 of any suitable insole material, the upper layer having a cut formed through its thickness at a distance from the margin of that layer, to provide a free rand or lip 46 and an island portion bonded to the lower layer 50. l

The insoleshown in Fig. 7 is substantially similar to that previously described and comprises a free rand or lip 52 obtained by forming a cut 54 in an upper or outer layer 56 of any suitable material, the central portion of which forms an island which is cemented to a lower or inner layer 58. The rand orlip 52 is connected to the island portion of the upper layer .56 by spaced frangible connections 60, which aid in maintaining the lip flat against the insole during the lasting operationwhile permitting the anvil to, engage under the lip during the stapling operation, the frangible connections being severed by the anvil as the stapling proceeds around the shoe.

The upper having been pulled over as explained above, the heel and toe end portions of the upper are lasted, these operations being conveniently performed in bed lasting machines in the conventional manner, the toe end portion being secured in lasted position, preferably by cement, to the rib or lip of the insole, while the heel end portion is secured by tacks to the heel seat portion of the insole, according to the usual practice in the manufacture of welt shoes.

The shoe is next presented to a staple side lasting and welt attaching machine in which successive portions of the sides of the upper (including the lining, if there is one) are tensioned over the lip or rib and, while each successive portion of the upper is held under tension, a welt 28, fed in timed relation to the operation of the tensioning means, is applied'to the upper, and at the same time a staple 30 is inserted, vertically through the welt, the upper, and the insole lip or rib and clinched to the inner face of the lip or rib, thereby securing the upper in lasted relation to the insole and attaching the welt in one operation.

A machine suitable for performing the side lasting and welt attaching operations, as above described, is illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the principal instrumentalities of this machine comprising a pair of upper tensioning gripper jaws 62, 62, a welt guide 64, a staple nozzle 66, a staple driver 68, and an anvil arranged to engage under the insole lip or rib to support the lip, the upper and the welt during the insertion of a staple which is driven into a groove 72in the welt and is clinched to the inner face of the insole lip.

The lasting operation commences at the heel breast line at one side of the shoe and proceeds progressively until the tip line of the already-lasted toe portion of the upper is reached, whereupon the gripper jaws are thrown out of operation until the tip line on the opposite side of the shoe is reached, at which point the, gripper jaws resume the lasting operation which continues to the heel breast line at that side of the shoe. The insertion of staples, however, for securing the welt to the upper, continues without interruption from breast line to breast line, the shoe being fed progressively (by mechanism not herein shown) past the anvil 70 located under the insole lip. v

After the staple lasting of the sides of the upper-and attachment of the welt, the insole lip or rib, regardless of which of the several types of insole previously described is used, is coated with a suitable cement, and the shoe bottom is subjected to pressure to cause the lip or rib to adhere firmly to the shoe bottom, that is to the portion of the rib which is secured to the, insole, if the rib is of the type of those shown in Figs. 1 to 5, or directly to the margin of the insole, if the lip is in the form of a rand cut from the insole, as in the constructions illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The shoe is now ready for the bottoming operations, no inseam trimming being necessary, as in the usual welt construction, by reason of the lasting of theupper and the attachment of the welt to a fiat rib. Bottom filler F may now be applied in the forepart of the shoe, the amount of filler required being substantially less than that required when the upper is lasted and the welt sewn to an upstanding rib. The shoe may be completed by attaching an outsole S either by stitching or by cement, in the usual manner known to those skilled in the art. g

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description that the method provided by the present inven' tion offers many advantages in the manufacture of welt shoes. From an economic point of view, it affords substantial savings in manufacturing costs by eliminating some of the operations necessary in the making of welt shoes by present conventional methods. The use of a flat lasting rib of any one of the types herein disclosed is compatible with other shoemaking processes which utilize flat lasting, as, for example, the cemented shoe process, so that factories equipped with flat lasting machines can readily produce welted shoes with either extension or close edge soles. From a quality standpoint, the method provided by the present invention makes it possible to produce shoes possessing the highly desirable characteristics of lightness and flexibility, without sacrificing any of the acknowledged advantages of the true Goodyear welt shoe, such as the tight joint between the upper and the shoe bottom and the smooth interior of the shoe, exempt from any searns or metallic fastenings. It will be noted also that the shoe remains on the last throughout the entire period of its manufacture, thereby contributing toward imparting to the shoe the desired shape.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In the art of making welt shoes, the steps which comprise providing upon a last an insole having a flat rib attached thereto and extending inwardly from its margin in a plane substantially parallel to the outer surface of the insole, providing an upper having a lasting margin, pulling the upper over the last, lasting the heel end of the upper to the heel seat portion of the insole lasting the toe end of the upper to the inwardly extending fiat rib, and then completing the lasting of the shoe along the opposite sides progressively by tensioning the upper heightwise of the shoe and drawing its margin inwardly over the rib in parallel relation to the insole in difierent locations successively and simultaneously attaching a Welt around the periphery of the shoe from the heel breast line at one side to the heel breast line at the opposite side of the shoe, without any distortion of the welt heightwise of the shoe, by a single row of staples inserted through the welt, the upper and the rib in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insole.

2. In the art of making welt shoes, the steps which comprise providing upon a last an insole having a flat rib attached thereto and extending inwardly from its margin in a plane substantially parallel to the outer surface of the insole, providing an upper having a lasting margin, pulling the upper over the last, lasting the heel end of the upper to the heel seat portion of the insole, lasting the toe end of the upper to the inwardly extending flat rib, and then completing the lasting of the shoe along the opposite sides progressively by tensioning the upper heightwise of the shoe and drawing its margin inwardly over the rib in parallel relation to the insole in difierent locations successively and simultaneously laying a welt against the overlasted, inwardly extending margin of the upper progressively around the periphery of the shoe from the heel breast line at one side to the heel breast line at the opposite side of the shoe and inserting at each successive portion of the shoe upper while held under tension a staple through the welt, the upper and the rib in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the insole, to secure the welt and the upper to said rib in the position which they wil occupy in the finished shoe.

3. In the art of making welt shoes, the steps which comprise: providing upon a last an insole having a prefabricated flat rib attached thereto and extending inwardly from its margin in a plane substantially parallel to the outer surface of the insole, said rib comprising a two-ply portion formed by adhesively bonding a strip of fibrous material and a strip of fabric wider than said first-named strip, said fabric strip being folded upon itself and having the portion thereof which extends beyond said strip of fibrous material adhesively secured to the insole margin; providing an upper having a lasting margin; pulling the upper over the last; lasting the heel end of the upper to the heel seat portion of the insole; lasting the toe end of the upper to the inwardly extending two-ply rib portion; completing the lasting of the shoe along the opposite sides progressively by tensioning the upper heightwise of the shoe and drawing its margin inwardly over said two-ply rib portion in parallel relation to the insole in difierent locations successively and simultaneously laying a welt against the overlasted inwardly extending margin of the upper progressively around the periphery of the shoe from the heel breast line at one side to the heel breast line at the opposite side of the shoe and inserting at each succesisve portion of the shoe upper held under tension a staple through the welt, the upper and the rib in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the insole to secure the welt and the upper to said two-ply rib portion in the position which they will occupy in the finished shoe; adhesively bonding said two-ply rib portion to the portion of the fabric strip which is secured to the insole to secure the upper in flat lasted condition; and completing the shoe by attaching an outsole to the welt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,098,819 Melanson June 2, 1914 1,894,440 Codish June 17, 1933 2,070,314 Poole Feb. 9, 1937 2,186,141 La Chappell Jan. 9, 1940 2,345,372 Ayers Mar. 28, 1944 2,421,442 Tobacco June 3, 1947 2,598,296 Pierson May 27, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 809,142 Germany July 23, 1951 

